WHERE ARE THE FEMALE MARINES?  Awhile back, DOD ordered the Marine Corps to open all combat arms career fields to women.  Less than 100 have successfully entered the former male-only specialties.

AIRCRAT CARRIER VISITS VIETNAM.   The Carl Vinson recently visited the Vietnamese port of Da Nang – the first visit there by a US carrier in more than four decades, according to Navy Times. 

VETERANS SUE SEA SERVICE.  Iraq and Afghanistan Navy/Marine Corps veterans with mental health problems were unfairly given less-than-honorable discharges by the Navy, preventing them from getting VA benefits and other support. That’s the assertion of a Federal lawsuit in Connecticut.   The suit seeks class-action status for thousands of Navy and Marine Corps veterans.  They are represented by students at Yale Law School.  The law students filed a similar lawsuit against the Army last year.

AIRMAN PUNISHED FOR RACIAL RANT.   An airman who posted a profane Facebook video in which she made racially charged comments has been punished at Nellis AFB, NV.  Tech. Sgt. Geraldine Lovely posted a video of her in-uniform rant in January; she claimed that black female airmen and NCOs had “attitude problems.”

RUNNING OUT OF SPACE AT ARLINGTON CEMETERY.  Veterans groups staunchly oppose the idea of restricting eligibility for burial at Arlington National Cemetery.  However, military officials don’t see another realistic option.  The 154-year-old cemetery, originally established as an overflow site for mounting Civil War casualties, has become one of the most hallowed military sites in America.  Over 3 million visitors travel to the site annually.  More than 7,000 service members were interred at the cemetery in fiscal 2017 alone.  Expansion plans are expected to keep burials on pace into the 2040s – but not much beyond that.

PERSONAL WEAPONS ON BASE.  President Trump is the examining Federal policies restricting troops carrying private firearms on military bases. 

DIFFERENT RANKS, DIFFERENT SPANKS.   Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif has challenged the Air Force’s lack of courts-martial for general officers.  She claims the Air Force has never prosecuted a general officer in its entire history.

While Rep. Speier zeroed in on the Air Force, she chastised other services as well.  She cited two former Army generals ― Maj. Gen. Ron Lewis used his government credit card at strip clubs in Rome and Seoul, along with other infractions, and Gen. William “Kip” Ward misused thousands of taxpayer dollars, borrowed military aircraft for personal use, and had staff members run personal errands for him.  Both generals lost a star ― and Ward was ordered to repay $82,000 ― but neither was court-martialed.

DRONE SUBMARINES?   Nuclear  attack submarines deploying undersea drones to hunt, and possibly kill, enemy subs? The U.S. Navy is taking steps to make this a reality, according to military press reports.